Sony wheeled out a few big guns to support its presentation at the CineEurope trade show in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday.
Among the special guests onstage were The Crown star Claire Foy to help introduce a preview of The Girl in the Spider’s Web, in which she plays the iconic antihero Lisbeth Salander, while director Jason Reitman made an appearance to discuss his film The Frontrunner, which stars Hugh Jackman as former Republican presidential candidate Gary Hart.
Reitman praised his leading man, who he said had given “one of his most nuanced performances,” while Jackman, via a video message, revealed he was “hugely proud” of the movie. “If you’re anything like me and you might find yourself looking at politics today and wondering how we got here, this film helps explain it,” the actor said.
A sizzle reel from the Goosebumps sequel, Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween, was also shown, together with some clips from Searching, which was introduced by director Aneesh Chaganty and producer Sev Ohanian, both of whom wrote the film, which earned solid reviews at Sundance.
Another director to appear onstage was Yann Demange, known for his IRA thriller ’71 but now at the helm of White Boy Rick, which stars Matthew McConaughey and tells the story of the youngest-ever informant for the FBI. Demange introduced footage from the film, which is due out Sept. 21.
Antoine Fuqua recorded a special message to discuss his reuniting with Denzel Washington for The Equalizer 2, which is set to bow July 20. There also were clips from Alpha and A Dog’s Way Home.
Extensive footage was shown from Venom, starring Tom Hardy as the much-adored Marvel creation. “The most chaotic and unpredictable Marvel character finally got his own film,” said Sony president of international distribution Steven O’Dell, who labeled the film one of the studio’s “most exciting projects in years.”
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, due out July 13, was also given some love, with three clips from the hit animation shown alongside a special marketing video filmed with players from the Spanish national soccer team.
Sony’s presentation closed with Quentin Tarantino, who recorded a special video from the set of his all-star Charles Manson thriller Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. “I’ve got a special place in my heart for European cinema,” he said. “I’ve always felt my films have European sensibilities in them.”
